Seating surface



March 16 1926. 1,576,900

v. )YCOLLIER SEATING SURFACE Filed Dec. 14, 1922 Patented Mar. 16, 1926.

PATENT OFFICE.

VINCENT COLLIER, OF WORCESTER PARK, ENGLAND.

SEATING SURFACE.

Application filed December 14, 1922. Serial No. 606,954.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VINCENT COLLIER, a British subject, residing at Elmcroft Nursery, London Road, Vorcester Park, in the county of Surrey, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in and Relating to Seating Surfaces, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a new method for attaching canvas or other fabric or the like to rails or the like of wood or metal or other suitable material, the object being to provide a detachable seating surface capable of being attached to any rails of suitable section whether formin )art of a deck 01' hammock chair or similar article of furniture, or merely supported by pillars, posts or other suitable means. The object in the latter case is for the fixed rails, placed in the requisite positions, for example round sports grounds and other places, to be temporarily converted into rows of deck or hammock chairs or similar articles of furniture by fitting thereto a number of independent seating surfaces.

According to the invention, each end of a length of canvas or other fabric to constitute a seat is stiffened and modelled substantially in the plane of the length of fabric, for instance by tightly sheathing therein in the plane of the fabric, a strip of millboard or other suitable material which preferably is slightly resilient and more or less pliable. Hard wood, enveloped in paper, wash leather or other resilient material could also be used. The said stifiening material should preferably be flat on one side and slightly rounded or beveled on the other; it must not exceed in width the width of a flat or substantially flat face or surface which it is essential for the rails to have and its thickness should preferably be about one eighth of its own width.

By this construction and arrangement when the flat side of one ofthe stiffened and modelled ends of the seating surface is placed against a fiat surface of the rail, for instance against one side of a quadrangular rail (with or without blunted or bevelled edges) and the fabric is tightly wound round same, and when pulled upon, the fabric automatically becomes fixed with respect to the rail as the tensional strain-upon the edge of the said stifiening material or and no creases or pleats are formed.

shape is neutralized by the greater strain upon the surface thereof caused by the convolutions of the fabric.

For convenience of manufacture the said stiffening material or shape is preferably inserted in the fabric in the following manner:Each end of the length of fabric constituting the seating material is folded over and stitched down so as to form a narrow sheath barely large enough to contain the said stiffening material or shape, so that when same is inserted therein the fabric constituting the said sheath is fully distended A sheath is preferable to a sleeve, as one end is closed and the other left open so that the said stiffening material or shape may be ex? tracted when the seating surface is sent to the wash. 1

\Vhen fitted with these insertions which it will be seen do not come in contact with the frame or other supports but are merely used to stiffen and model the ends of the fabric the seating surface is complete and is attached to bottom and top rails in the followmg manner The flat side of one of the stiffened and modelled ends thereof is placed immediately against the under side of the lower or bottom rail, round which the fabric is then wound, the other end of the fabric is now passed over and round the top or higher rail behind which the other stiffened and modelled end is slipped, so as to come bet-ween the rail and the convolutions of the fabric. The Weight of the occupant of the chair alone suflices to fix andkeep the seating surface in position. The greater the weight the tighter the grip.

And in order that the inventon may be better understood, it will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which 1- 'Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of a portion of the proposed stifiening material or shape.

Fig. 2 shows a similar view with the stiffening material or shape inserted in the fabric.

Fig. 3 shows perspective diagram of a portion of a seating surface with its stiifeneld ends attached to bottom and upper ral s.

Figs. t, 5 and 6 show somewhat diagrammatic fragmentary perspective views illustrating examples of modified'cross sections of rails and stiffeners. V

Fig. 7 shows sectional diagram illustrating my invention fitted to an ordinary. deck chair.

Fig. 8 shows diagran'u'natic sketch of a sports pavilion or the like fitted with the invention.

The comparative thickness of thelfabric or the like in Figs. 2 to 6 is exaggerated for aclear showing of the invention.

Referring to Figs. l3, 10 are stitfenersor shapes which have one flat side 11', the

other side having bevelled or rounded edges 1:2. 1 3 is the fabric or the like constituting the seating surface. This is forznethwith sheaths 1 t, attheends, into which; the still? eners IOare inserted. v

A bottom rail 15 isshown in Fig. 3 and a. top raii 16. Both the rails are quadrangular in cross section with bevel-led or rounded corners; they may besupported in any suitable manner. v

In usethefiatside ll of one of the stilleners is placed on the under surface of the bottom rail 15 and the fabriclS wrapped or coiled around thera-il and stiffener as shown. The other .end-ofthe fabric is now placed over the top of and'around the upper rail 16, and theother stiffener positioned asshown with its fiatface 11 against one of the flat faces of therail 16.

Upon pulling on theiabric 13 in the directionfofthe arrows 17 and 18 (which would be the direction of pull due. to the weight of a person sitting on the fabric 13) it will be appreciated thatthe tension inthe fabric pulling on the stiffened edges is neutralized as it causes thesurfacesthereo-f to bear tightly against the convolutions of the fabric, this grip increasing with the tensiona-l pull or weight.

In Fig. 4, a railis shown having aflat face for the stiffener to engage, the other portion of the surface being generally rounded.

A triangular rail with rounded corners is shown in Fig.

Both. the rail and the stifl'ener in Fig. 6 are shaped as segments of a circle.

The upper and lower rails of an ordinary deckchair are generally quadrangular, such a device is indicated in Fig. 7, with a seat ing surfaceoffabric 13, attached to the rails, according to i the invention.

The sports pavilion shown in Fig. 8 has ';tO'] 3"l'2],llS 16,: supported by tigiangular brack- ..ets;19, attached to theouter walls 20 and ljOttOjDT rails '15, attached by suitable brackets;to;; the flooring. Between each pair of -rails loand 16, a desired number of seating surfacesconstitutedby fabric orthe like 13 is disposed as shown.

lt s I obv ous that the ends: of the seating aces may-be st ffened, substantially in the plane thereof, byother means thanthese end witha stifleningbar bearing against said flat-side of the supporting bar and be tween the same. and that portion-ofsaid coil which is opposite said flatexterior side of the'bar so that weight imposed on said jseat fabric tightens the same around said supporting bar, the said stiffening bar preventing casual detachment of said fabric from said supporting bar.

A In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name.

VINCENT COLLIER. 

